1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of wireless receivers and particularly to a method and apparatus for maximum likelihood sequence estimation for wireless receivers under multi-path communication channels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As computers have gained enormous popularity in recent decades, so have networking the same allowing for access of files by one computer from another. More recently and with the advent of wireless communication, remote and wireless networking of computers is gaining more and more notoriety among personal users, small and large business owners, factory facilities and the like.
With regard to the wireless networking of personal computers including laptops, a particular modem, namely modems adapted to the IEEE 802.11b industry standard, are commonly employed. That is, an antenna is placed inside or nearby the personal computer and an RF chip receives signal or data through the antenna and an analog-to-digital converter, typically located within the personal computer (PC), converts the received signal to baseband range. Thereafter, a baseband processor is employed to process and decode the received signal to the point of extracting raw data, which may be files transferred remotely and wireless, from another PC or similar equipment with the use of a transmitter within the transmitting PC.
There are several prior art apparatus and techniques for implementing 802.11b modem receivers, however, such prior art have not successfully utilized the fullest potential of the 802.11b modem. For example, the maximum rate of this type of modem device is 11 Mbits/sec. but in the presence of multi-path, use of current prior art methods and apparatus does not allow for reception of data at such rates. In fact, successful reception of data under multi-path conditions currently takes place at rates equivalent to 5.5 Mbits/sec.
Furthermore, in areas other than open locations, such as smaller office cubicles located within the inner structure of a building, prior art receivers are known to only operate at rates lower than that of the maximum operational rate of the modem, such as 11 Mbits/sec., thus preventing a user from receiving files from another PC at optimal rates. This is generally due to the prior art techniques' limitations in operating within multi-path conditions, which occur mostly in closed areas, such as those mentioned hereinabove. Multi-path effects are shown to degrade the detection of data when using prior art techniques and methods.
In light of the foregoing, it is desirable to develop a receiver for receiving 802.11b modem signals accurately and in the presence of multi-path yet at maximum rates achievable by the modem.